Hoya australis R.Br. ex Traill, Apocynaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  High risk, score: 8 (Go to the risk assessment).

Other Latin names:  Hoya dalrympliana F. Muell.

Common name(s): [more details]

English: Samoan waxplant, star flower, wax flower

Fijian: mbitambita, mbitimbiti, mbitumbitu, mbulimbuli sewaro, nambetembete, nambetiambete, ndraumbimbi, wa mbi, wa mbi levu, wa mbimbi, wa tambua

Maori (Cook Islands): tiare ‘aka‘ipo‘ipo

Samoan: fue selelā, fue selelā, lau māfiafia, lau māfiafia, lau ‘ōlive, lau ‘ōlive, ‘ōlive vao, suni vao, suni vao

Tongan: lau matolu

Tongarevan (spoken): tiale akāu

Tongarevan (written): tiale akāu

Wallisian: sinu

Habit:  vine

Description:  "Succulent vine to ± shrubby; stems twining or clambering; sap milky.  Leaf petioles to 0.8 inches long; blades broadly elliptic to ± circular, to 6 x 4.75 inches, dark green, base rounded to shallowly cordate.  Inflorescence up to 50-flowered, ± hemispherical.  Flowers fragrant, 0.4-1 inch in diameter, corolla flat to shallowly bowl-shaped, white to cream, with pink, red, or purple under corona, sparsely velvety-hairy inside; corona cup-shaped, cream to white.  Fruit spindle-shaped, 3.5-5 inches long, 0.4-0.6 inches in diameter.  Seeds ca 0.25 inches long, tan"  (Staples & Herbst, 2005; p. 142).

Habitat/ecology:  In Fiji, "found at elevations from near sea level (and there often locally frequent) to about 1,200 m, occurring in beach thickets, on sea cliffs and rocky shores, on edges of mangrove swamps, and inland in open or dense forest"  (Smith, 1988; pp. 118-119).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  "Northeastern Australia eastward to Tonga and Samoa, sometimes cultivated within this range as well as elsewhere"  (Smith, 1988; p. 119).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
American Samoa American Samoa Islands	American Samoa Islands	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
American Samoa Manu‘a Islands	Ofu Island	native	Ragone, Diane/Lorence, David H. (2003) (p. 51)
American Samoa Manu‘a Islands	Olosega Island	native	Ragone, Diane/Lorence, David H. (2003) (p. 51)
American Samoa Manu‘a Islands	Ta‘u Island	native	Ragone, Diane/Lorence, David H. (2003) (p. 51)
American Samoa Tutuila Islands	Aunu‘u Island		Whistler, W. A. (1979) (p. 267)
American Samoa Tutuila Islands	Tutuila Island		Whistler, W. A. (1979) (p. 267)
Cook Islands Northern Cook Islands	Penrhyn (Tongareva) Island	introduced cultivated	McCormack, Gerald (2011)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	‘Atiu Island	introduced cultivated	McCormack, Gerald (2011)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Ma‘uke Island	introduced cultivated	McCormack, Gerald (2011)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Rarotonga Island	introduced cultivated	McCormack, Gerald (2011)
Fiji Fiji Islands	Fulanga Island	native	Smith, Albert C. (1988) (p. 119) Voucher cited: Smith 1214
Fiji Fiji Islands	Kandavu Island	native	Smith, Albert C. (1988) (p. 119) Voucher cited: Smith 4
Fiji Fiji Islands	Ono Island	native	Smith, Albert C. (1988) (p. 119) Voucher cited: DA 14950
Fiji Fiji Islands	Ovalau Island	native	Smith, Albert C. (1988) (p. 119) Voucher cited: Seemann 319
Fiji Fiji Islands	Sovu Island	native	Smith, Albert C. (1988) (p. 119) Voucher cited: Bryan 590
Fiji Fiji Islands	Taveuni Island	native	Smith, Albert C. (1988) (p. 119) Vouchers cited: Gillespie 4747, Smith 8189
Fiji Fiji Islands	Vanua Levu Island	native	Smith, Albert C. (1988) (p. 119) Vouchers cited: DA 12955, Smith 6800
Fiji Fiji Islands	Vanua Mbalavu Island	native	Smith, Albert C. (1988) (p. 119) Voucher cited: Smith 1460
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island	native	Smith, Albert C. (1988) (p. 119) Vouchers cited: Greenwood 81, im Thurn 296, Gillespie 4096.1, Smith 8975, DA 8644, Gillespie 2523, Gibbs 765, Weiner 147, Seemann 319, Vaughan 3319
Fiji Fiji Islands	Yasawas Island	native	Smith, Albert C. (1988) (p. 119) Voucher cited: St. John 18164
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Ua Pou (Huapu, Uapou, Uapu) Island	introduced cultivated	Lorence, David H./Wagner, Warren L. (2008)
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced cultivated	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2011) Voucher cited: J. Florence 4669 (PAP) Cultivée. Assez rare à Tahiti.
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Lorence, David/Flynn, Tim (1999) (pp. 3-4) East Maui. Vouchers cited: D. Lorence, T. Flynn, D. Ragone & J. Wiseman 8325 (BISH, PTBG, MO, US), Flynn & Lewis 2410 (PTBG)
Marshall Islands Ratak Chain	Majuro (Mãjro) Atoll	introduced cultivated	Vander Velde, Nancy (2003) (p. 68)
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 20) Voucher cited: MacKee 40077
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	native	Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral R. (2005) (p. 142)
Samoa Western Samoa Islands	Upolu Island	native	Smith, Albert C. (1988) (p. 119) Voucher cited: Reinecke 220 (BISH)
Solomon Islands Solomon Islands	Solomon Islands	native	Hancock, I. R./Henderson, C. P. (1988) (p. 82)
Tonga Ha‘apai Group	Kao Island	native	Whistler, W. A. (1992) (p. 7) Vouchers cited: Yuncker 15881, Yuncker 15973
Tonga Ha‘apai Group	Tofua Island	native	Whistler, W. A. (1992) (p. 7) Vouchers cited: Hotta 4366, Hotta 4424, Scarth-Johnson 143, Buelow 546, Buelow 585
Tonga Tongatapu Group	‘Eua Island	native	Whistler, W. A. (1992) (p. 7) Vouchers cited: Lister n.s., McKern 67, Parks 16202, Hurlimann 180, Yuncker 15169, Yuncker 15170, Sykes 234, Wrioght 7646, Whistler 7363
Tonga Tongatapu Group	Tongatapu Island	native	Smith, Albert C. (1988) (p. 119) Voucher cited: US Expl. Exped. 78372 (US)
Tonga Tongatapu Group	Tongatapu Island	native	Whistler, W. A. (1992) (p. 7) Vouchers cited: U.S. Expl. Exped., Setchell & Parks 15284, Setchell & Parks 15467, Hurlimann 63, Yuncker 15169, Yuncker 15271, Hotta 4021, Hotta 4274, Hotta 4283, Hotta 4518, Hotta 5662, Soakai 1013, Weiner T46
Tonga Vava‘u Group	Late Island	native	Whistler, W. A. (1992) (p. 7) Vouchers cited: Hotta 4816, Buelow & Sykes 98
Tonga Vava‘u Group	Niuafo‘ou Island	native	Whistler, W. A. (1992) (p. 7) Vouchers cited: Buelow 2071, Buelow 2106, Whistler 6325
Tonga Vava‘u Group	Niuatoputapu Island	native	Whistler, W. A. (1992) (p. 7) Vouchers cited: Kirch 177 (n.s.), Buelow 1385
Tonga Vava‘u Group	Tafahi Island	native	Whistler, W. A. (1992) (p. 7) Voucher cited: horlimann 486
Tonga Vava‘u Group	Vava‘u Island	native	Whistler, W. A. (1992) (p. 7) Vouchers cited: Crosby 110, Hotta 4996, Buelow 1449
Vanuatu New Hebrides Islands	Vanuatu (Republic of)	native	Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral R. (2005) (p. 142)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	New South Wales	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)

Additional information:
Additional online information about Hoya australis is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Information about Hoya australis as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

Taxonomic information about Hoya australis may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. 2011. Base de données botaniques Nadeaud de l'Herbier de la Polynésie Française (PAP). (online resource).

Hancock, I. R./Henderson, C. P. 1988. Flora of the Solomon Islands. Research Bulletin No. 7. Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, Honiara. 203 pp.

Lorence, David H./Wagner, Warren L. 2008. Flora of the Marquesas Islands. National Tropical Botanical Garden and the Smithsonian Institution. Online database.

Lorence, David/Flynn, Tim. 1999. New naturalized plant records for the Hawaiian Islands. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Eldredge, Lucius G., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 1998. Part 2: Notes. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 59:3-6.

MacKee, H. S. 1994. Catalogue des plantes introduites et cultivées en Nouvelle-Calédonie. Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, 164 p.

McCormack, Gerald. 2011. Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga.

Ragone, Diane/Lorence, David H. 2003. Botanical and ethnobotanical inventories of the National Park of American Samoa. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Kalaheo, Hawaii and Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit, Department of Botany, University of Hawaii. 91 pp.

Smith, Albert C. 1988. Flora Vitiensis nova: a new flora of Fiji. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Kauai, Hawaii. Volume 4. 377 pp.

Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral R. 2005. A tropical garden flora: plants cultivated in the Hawaiian Islands and other tropical places. Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 908 pp.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2011. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

Vander Velde, Nancy. 2003. The vascular plants of Majuro Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands. Smithsonian Institution, Atoll Research Bulletin No. 503:1-141.

Whistler, W. A. 1979. A study of the vegetation of eastern Samoa. A dissertation submitted to the graduate division of the University of Hawaii in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Botanical Sciences. 325 pp.

Whistler, W. A. 1992. Flora of Tonga [unpublished checklist]. 107 pp.

Whistler, W. A. 2000. Plants in Samoan culture: The ethnobotany of Samoa. Isle Botanica. 234 pp. ISB: 0-9645426-6-8.